1. What biblical figure is introduced as "a man in the land of Uz (who) was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil"?
Job. And we all know we happened to him. Fearing God and eschewing evil isn't the automatic ticket to happiness you'd think.

2. On what kind of musical instrument could you play a "paradiddle"?
It's one of the rudimentary patterns of drumming.

3. What is the mode of the five digits that appear as the first five decimal places in a decimal expansion of pi?
In statistics, the mode is the element in a set of values that appears most often. The first five digits after the decimal in pi are 14159, so 1--the only digit that appears twice--is the mode.

4. What TV dad of the 1970s and 1980s owned a namesake chain of seven dry-cleaners in Manhattan and Queens?
The success of Jefferson Cleaners financed George Jefferson's move on up.

5. Name any two of the three current U.S. state capitals that were stations on the Pony Express.
The second half of the Pony Express route passed through Salt Lake City, Carson City, and Sacramento.

6. In architecture, a caryatid is a type of what sculpted to look like a woman?
A caryatid is one of those pillars that looks like a woman, not a pillar. So there's a row of ladies in robes balancing a whole roof on their heads, basically.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. metro areas, listed in this order? Fayetteville, Dallas, Omaha, San Jose, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Providence, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit.
These metro areas are the headquarters of the ten largest corporations in America, per the latest Fortune 500. Yes, the government considers Bentonville, Arkansas (home of Wal-Mart) to be part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolian Statistical Area! I checked!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. What is distinctive about the performers in Japanese "bunraku" or Javanese "wayang" theater?

2. In geology, strike-slip, dip-slip, and oblique-slip are the three types of what?

3. The longtime advice column for the online magazine Slate is named for what 1968 Beatles song?

4. What modern-day country was the site of 13th-century clashes between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines?

5. In what sport, which dates back to 1930s Chicago, does one "jammer" on each time wear a star on his or her helmet?

6. Where do the seeds that chefs call "pepitas" come from?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate.

1. I've seen the Javanese version, I think, so I should remember... I think they were masked but that's not terribly unusual...? Unless I'm getting it confused with one of the other forms of Javanese theatre, and they're puppets instead.

2. Earthquakes? They certainly sound like ways in which one tectonic plate can move against another.

3. That would mean it was from the White Album so it has to be Dear Prudence.

4. Italy. (I thought it said city which would have made it a bit harder, as I think they were in both Venice and Florence but I'm not sure...)

5. Is that supposed to say "team"? I can't immediately think of a sport that would have been invented in 1930s Chicago though.

6. I don't know. Sounds like it should be peppers / capsicums but those seeds aren't usually edible so why would chefs need a name?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DadOf3

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate.

Quite a list! Obviously they all involve women, which must be significant... but I can't see how it would be "the first time" any of those things were done by / happened to a woman. There does seem to be a partial theme of "firsts" too though - first time an English king got divorced and married again, arguably the first science fiction novel, first woman to receive a doctorate in France, but those are quite a diverse set and at least one of those things is stated in the question!

2. In geology, strike-slip, dip-slip, and oblique-slip are the three types of what?

Earthquakes?

3. The longtime advice column for the online magazine Slate is named for what 1968 Beatles song?

Dear Prudence. I hadn't made the connection before, though.

4. What modern-day country was the site of 13th-century clashes between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines?

France?

6. Where do the seeds that chefs call "pepitas" come from?

Pumpkins.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate.

The agent in all of them is female? (Manson I think ordered Tate's murder, but I don't think he was the one who committed it. I don't know who discovered the structure of penicillin.)

Except that isn't actually all that unusual. In any given time, women are present and acting; it's just that history books drop out their names, and mostly talk about the men.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate.

That is a very interesting set of events. I have no idea what they have in common.

1. What is distinctive about the performers in Japanese "bunraku" or Javanese "wayang" theater? They are puppeteers, I believe.

2. In geology, strike-slip, dip-slip, and oblique-slip are the three types of what? I think the term is "subduction zones" (Thanks, undergrad core curriculum!)

3. The longtime advice column for the online magazine Slate is named for what 1968 Beatles song? WAG-Dear Prudence?

5. In what sport, which dates back to 1930s Chicago, does one "jammer" on each time wear a star on his or her helmet? Sounds like roller derby to me, although I didn't know the origins if so.

6. Where do the seeds that chefs call "pepitas" come from? pumpkins

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate. The women central to the events were pregnant at the time? (Guessing based on a couple that I know about.)

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate.The women central to the events were pregnant at the time? (Guessing based on a couple that I know about.)

I can back you up on the coronation of Anne Boleyn.
She was about 7 months at the time and the pregnancy was very evident.

1. What is distinctive about the performers in Japanese "bunraku" or Javanese "wayang" theater?
They are puppets! (Or puppeteers, depending on how you feel about the anthropomorphizing of East Asian puppets.)

2. In geology, strike-slip, dip-slip, and oblique-slip are the three types of what?
They are faults. (Geologic faults. The San Andreas is a right-lateral strike-slip fault, for instance.) Sorry to ask you about all your faults.

3. The longtime advice column for the online magazine Slate is named for what 1968 Beatles song?
Even if you haven't been reading "Dear Prudence" in its many incarnations, you have to agree that "Dear Prudence" is the Beatles song title that sounds most like an advice column.

4. What modern-day country was the site of 13th-century clashes between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines?
These were politico-religious factions in medieval Italy. Dante was a Guelph. Your library has a Guelph on the shelf.

5. In what sport, which dates back to 1930s Chicago, does one "jammer" on each time wear a star on his or her helmet?
Oops, that should have read "team," not "time." Roller derby--whose rules were largely formulated, believe it or not, by short story writer Damon Runyon. The more I think about it, the Damon Runyon-roller derby connection seems like a perfect topic for my podcast, Omnibus.

6. Where do the seeds that chefs call "pepitas" come from?
Pepitas are pumpkin seeds.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these historical events? Cleopatra's forces win the Battle of the Nile, the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Catherine di Medici becomes queen of France, the writing of Frankenstein, Queen Victoria's first assassination attempt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first National Women's Rights Convention, Marie Curie becomes the first women to receive a doctorate in France, the structure of penicillin is discovered, Joan Baez's set at Woodstock, the murder of Sharon Tate.
When each of these events took place, the woman in question was pregnant. Sorry the end there was such a bummer.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. What five-word sentence was the indelible and oft-repeated TV tagline of the product HeadOn?

2. In what country would you find Isfahan, the so-called "Pearl of Islam"?

3. Which branch of the U.S. Armed Forces uses the motto "Semper Paratus," meaning "Always Ready"?

4. In 2016, the Chicago Blackhawks' star right wing became the first MVP in NHL history who was born in what country?

5. What familiar term from optics also names a type of geometric solid, one whose two bases are identical polygons?

6. What hit novelty song of 1923 was inspired by shortages caused by "Panama disease," a blight that killed off the Gros Michel cultivar?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Die Hard with a Vengeance, F/X, Get Shorty, House, National Lampoon's Vacation, Pitch Black, Police Academy, Revenge of the Nerds, The Road Warrior, Speed, Stakeout, The Whole Nine Yards, Young Guns.

1. What five-word sentence was the indelible and oft-repeated TV tagline of the product HeadOn? Apply directly to the forehead!

2. In what country would you find Isfahan, the so-called "Pearl of Islam"? Iran?

3. Which branch of the U.S. Armed Forces uses the motto "Semper Paratus," meaning "Always Ready"? The U.S. Coast Guard

5. What familiar term from optics also names a type of geometric solid, one whose two bases are identical polygons? Prism

6. What hit novelty song of 1923 was inspired by shortages caused by "Panama disease," a blight that killed off the Gros Michel cultivar? Must be "Yes, We Have No Bananas"

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Die Hard with a Vengeance, F/X, Get Shorty, House, National Lampoon's Vacation, Pitch Black, Police Academy, Revenge of the Nerds, The Road Warrior, Speed, Stakeout, The Whole Nine Yards, Young Guns. Hmm... despite being familiar with most of these (for a change!), I can't think of anything offhand.

2. Turkey.
5. A prism.
6. Bananas, I guess. I'd always assumed it was to do with wartime shortages, although I knew it was earlier than WWII... (eta) Sorry, I thought it asked for the thing there was a shortage of. The song would be Yes, We Have No Bananas as others have said.

I have no idea about the films. Although I have a vague impression that it must be something to do with casting...